Video: Guardsmen Also Face Furloughs

Mississippi’s adjutant general announced this morning that many of the Guard’s 1,400 full-time employees in the state will face furloughs one day a week starting July 8.

The weekly furloughs mean a 20 percent cut in pay for the workers. They’ll last at least until Sept. 30.

The furloughs are similar to those for 472 civilian military personnel at Columbus Air Force Base and other military bases across the state.

Maj. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, the adjutant general of Mississippi, announced military technician furlough plans today during a press briefing with members of the media.

Approximately 1,400 full-time Mississippi National Guard military technicians will be furloughed for 11 Mondays from July 8 to September 30. All employees have been notified and will take a 20 percent pay reduction. This action is directed by the National Guard Bureau in Washington D.C. and is due to budgetary issues facing the Department of Defense via sequestration for the remainder of fiscal year 2013. The Budget Control Act of 2011, as amended by the American Taxpayer Act of 2012, makes across-the-board reductions to financial resources for the federal government.

The furloughs will not affect full-time Active-Guard Reserve personnel, state employees or traditional Army and Air National Guardsmen. Proper plans and preparation have been made to ensure that the lives and property of all Mississippians are protected in the event of a state emergency. “These furloughs will in no way impact the Mississippi National Guard’s ability to respond to any natural or man-made disasters here in the state,” said Collins. “We’ll be able to handle those just as we’ve been able to in the past. They will have absolutely no effect.

The upcoming furloughs will impact technicians serving in six communities throughout the Magnolia State. The locations and employee figures are as follows:

Efforts are currently underway to assist technicians with adjusting to the upcoming furlough pay reductions. Examples include assisting personnel with enrollment in active duty schools and offers for personal budgeting assistance by qualified financial management personnel.

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WCBI – TV was the first television station in North Mississippi. The station began its regular operations on July 13, 1956 under the ownership of Birney Imes, Jr. WCBI was first housed in a group of cement block buildings in a pasture east of Columbus on Highway 12